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NAVAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION – GEOGRAPHICAL HANDBOOK SERIES.

£200.00

B[ook of] R[eference] 522 … The Belgian Congo.

London: Naval Intelligence Division, April 1944..

This volume relating to The Belgian Congo was but one of a series of comprehensive reports covering physical geography, history, peoples, modern history and administration, economic geography, ports and communications, that originated from a need in the First World War ‘to supply, by scientific research and skilled arrangement, material for the discussion of naval, military and political problems’ (preface). These were continued to be used during the Second World War but were found to be inadequate: ‘The present series of Handbooks … is an entirely new set of books, produced … by trained geographers drawn largely from the Universities, and working at sub-centres established at Oxford and Cambridge’ (preface).

The two large folding maps in the rear pocket comprise: ‘Central and East Africa’ at a scale of 1 inch to 63 miles (1:4,000,000) prepared by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute and published by Bartholomew & Son Ltd, and ‘Belgian Congo Communciations’ to the same scale, and is without imprint. Both maps show relief with layer-colouring in shades of green and brown, roads in red, railways, sea routes and boundaries in black (the latter over-laid with purple in the former map), lakes, rivers and sea in blue.

B[ook of] R[eference] 522 … The Belgian Congo.

London: Naval Intelligence Division, April 1944..

This volume relating to The Belgian Congo was but one of a series of comprehensive reports covering physical geography, history, peoples, modern history and administration, economic geography, ports and communications, that originated from a need in the First World War ‘to supply, by scientific research and skilled arrangement, material for the discussion of naval, military and political problems’ (preface). These were continued to be used during the Second World War but were found to be inadequate: ‘The present series of Handbooks … is an entirely new set of books, produced … by trained geographers drawn largely from the Universities, and working at sub-centres established at Oxford and Cambridge’ (preface).

The two large folding maps in the rear pocket comprise: ‘Central and East Africa’ at a scale of 1 inch to 63 miles (1:4,000,000) prepared by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute and published by Bartholomew & Son Ltd, and ‘Belgian Congo Communciations’ to the same scale, and is without imprint. Both maps show relief with layer-colouring in shades of green and brown, roads in red, railways, sea routes and boundaries in black (the latter over-laid with purple in the former map), lakes, rivers and sea in blue.

Octavo (215 x 138mm). xiii, [1 (blank)], 558 pp., 91 maps and diagrams including folding geological map, frontispiece and 105 plates, two large folding maps in pocket at end. Original light-grey cloth gilt (spine spotted, extremities lightly rubbed).

Provenance: Andover Boys’ Secondary School (stamps on front pastedown).